Even when he was J&K Chief Minister 2010, Omar Abdullah had plunged into accession and merger controversies after 63 years of 1947 accession. What was the need for that could be questioned. Many had accused junior Abdullah of acting against Indian interests. Omar too, thereafter, did not work on ground to explain to the masses the spirit behind his raising the issue of merger. No doubt Dr. Karan Singh had also in a way raised the issue of pending merger of J&K with India while speaking in Rajya Sabha on August, 10, 2016 but those who had reacted to Omar talking of merger in 2010 did not show any serious concern, may be they had not even taken note of that although Karan Singh saying so mattered more than Omar saying so.
Here too one would ask why. Such occasional suggestions and statements that have been made by some and not contested or not thrashed by the Union over the years have made the common man of J&K to live in a controversial socio-political environment. Both the governments at the Center and the in the State could be held responsible for.the confusions and political instability that prevails in J&K.
When in 2013 December some people of Kashmir valley got so much agitated over the suggestions made by Narendra Modi for discussion on Art 370 too gave indications that they have been using Art-370 and controversies related to this Article for more than six decade just to keep the common man of J&K distanced from the ground realities of even Indian Nationality.
So, in case Kashmiri, NC, PDP leaders really care for the people of J&K they must explain why inspite of there being Section-10 ( Rights of the permanent residents), Section-13 (socialist order), Section-16 (organisation of village panchayats to function as units of self-government), Section-20-a (Rights of free and compulsory education), Section-21 (Rights of children), Section- 22-d (Right of women), Section-23 (Protection of educational, material and cultural interests of socially and economically backward sections like Schedule Tribe, OBC), and Section-25 (Duty of the State to foster equality and secularism) in the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir the women rights are still inferior to men in J&K, Panchayat Raj has not reached the village doors, free university level education is not available even for all permanent residents of J&K, special rights are not there for all children. Why are even the fundamental rights of all women not secure, why are there no special provisions for the welfare of the widow and why J&K has not made laws / provisions better than that have been made by GOI/ Parliament for schedule tribes / schedule castes /OBCs?
It is still time for PDP, NC leaderships to come forward for making corrections setting aside their decades old slogans of special status and Kashmiri aspirations so as to negate those who question their intentions. BJP support will make 2/3rd majority in the Legislature worth making any type of correction for what PDP- NC combine may dare to venture . The changed approach would also repair the erosions made in the name religion and region shaping naya kashmir into naya jammukashmir. Provisions do exsit for setting the records straight and if done so the antiIndia / separatist elements too will lose some ground.
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